Common causes of dispute

What are the most common causes of disputes at the end of tenancies? In our experience, the issues below account for the great majority of cases referred to the dispute services.

1. 1

   Cleanliness

   The most common cause of dispute. Landlords should arrange professional cleaning before the tenancy starts to establish a baseline standard. Tenants must then maintain that condition, and receipts should be retained. Using the same cleaning service at both the start and end of the tenancy is advisable.

2. 2

   Professional cleaning

   If initial professional cleaning occurred and tenants fail to arrange a similar service on departure, they face liability for the restoration cost. Even competent self-cleaning may leave gaps that require professional remediation at the tenant’s expense.

3. 3

   Items left in situ by departing tenants

   Tenants sometimes leave behind furniture and other belongings, mistakenly believing this mitigates damage charges. Unless previously agreed, abandoned items remain the tenant’s responsibility and must be removed at their expense.

4. 4

   Decline in decorative order

   Rental properties experience greater wear than owner-occupied homes. While some marking of walls is expected, adding nails or picture hooks, using blu-tack without permission, indents and excessive scuffing all exceed fair wear and tear.

5. 5

   Damages and breakages

   Disputes arise over what constitutes damage versus wear and tear, and over repair valuations. Importantly, landlords cannot replace functioning items with new ones; compensation should reflect accelerated obsolescence only.

6. 6

   Maintenance issues

   Tenants and landlords frequently disagree about responsibility. While landlords handle structural problems such as damp, tenants must promptly report issues per their agreement or risk contributing to liability.

7. 7

   Gardens

   Tenancy agreements typically require the tenant to maintain the garden. Photographic inventories at the start and end enable comparison, with landlords advised to prepare gardens beforehand.